This disclosure relates generally to a gas turbine engine and more particularly to a liner cap assembly for a gas turbine engine combustor.
Gas turbine engines, preferably of an industrial type, use one or more combustors that burn fuel to rotationally drive a turbine section of the engine. Some combustors include a liner cap assembly at a leading end of the combustor. The liner cap assembly supports fuel injection components, for example.
Many gas turbine engines include a dry low NOx (DLN) system for reducing emissions. Some DLN systems premix the fuel and air prior to their injection as a mixture into the combustion chamber. The DLN systems can create pressure pulsations during combustion that subjects the liner cap assembly to vibratory deformations that are detrimental to component fatigue life and can cause premature failure of the entire combustion system. This effect may be exacerbated if the vibratory frequencies are close to the natural frequency of the liner cap assembly thus shortening part life. To this end, it is desirable to stiffen the liner cap assembly both to strengthen it and to raise its natural frequency above the likely frequencies of the DLN pressure pulsations.